NAIROBI, Kenya, April 17 – Smallholder tea farmers are set for enhanced medical coverage after Majani Insurance Brokers (MIB) expanded the cover to include outpatient services.
It is an upgrade of the Kinga Ya Mkulima cover, which already has an inpatient cover, provided in partnership with Britam.
According to MIB General Manager Pauline Mwangi, the cover offers additional financial protection to farmers and reduces out-of-pocket expenditure on medical bills.
“Farmers have indicated that while the inpatient cover has been beneficial, they also want to be covered when they are seeking outpatient medical services or when they need to take medication at home,” said Mwangi.
Mwangi said that MIB will be working with Greenland Fedha, a microfinance outfit that, like MIB, is a subsidiary of the Kenya Tea Development Agency Ltd. (KTDA), to provide credit to farmers to meet any financing gaps to access the insurance coverage.
The cover is available to farmers in 71 tea factories run by KTDA. However, it is also open for non-tea farmers.
In-patient cover currently has over 200,000 members, insuring over 700,000 lives, and has settled more than 150,000 claims.
“We understand that out-of-pocket medical expenses can put a strain on any family and this expanded cover will ensure access to necessary medical care without financial worries, promoting a healthier and more productive population,” Britam Director of Emerging Consumers, Saurabh Sharma, said.
